Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović assessed that many politicians changed their minds when they came to power, commenting on the shooting case involving a relative of Parliament Speaker Andrija Mandić, as well as the signing of an agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on cooperation in the economy and tourism and economic development.
He said this at a conference after the award ceremony for the best businessmen of Montenegro for the previous year, organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro.
Asked to comment on the case of Mandić's nephew and bodyguard Danilo Mandić, who participated in the shooting while in a vehicle that was given to the head of parliament for use, as well as the opposition's request for him to resign from the position of Speaker of the Parliament, Milatović said that what happened was not good, but also that there are numerous questions to which citizens and the interested public must receive clear answers from the competent state authorities.
"It seems to me that the competent state authorities are somehow providing some conflicting information, which is not good in the context of citizens' trust in these competent authorities, which we need to build, but trust is not built that way. That's all I can say. You know, I'm not an investigative body or part of the police administration or the prosecutor's office to be able to answer those questions in more detail," he said.
As he added, the conflicting information we receive from the competent authorities in this case does not benefit citizens' trust in those institutions.
On that occasion, he called on the competent authorities to provide clear answers to the questions that exist in this case.
"Regarding the Speaker of the Parliament and his responsibility, I think that this is primarily a question for him. It seems to me that many politicians in the country have changed their behavior now that they are in power compared to the attitudes they had when they were in opposition. And I think that this discontinuity of attitudes and behavior is not just in this case, to be clear, but I look at it in a broader social context, I think that this is not good. Now, returning to this agreement, the same people who voted for that agreement the other night in the Parliament, in some late evening hours, only a few years ago commented on very similar potential deals like this completely differently and had completely different attitudes," the head of state said.
"What has changed in the meantime? Here, that is a legitimate and reasonable question for me to ask on behalf of the citizens of Montenegro. I leave it to the citizens to judge for themselves, of course, but I think that this discontinuity of behavior compared to when someone was in opposition, when they are now in power, is not good and that it definitely does not contribute to the political maturation and democratization of our society," he added.
Asked whether he would sign the law on the agreement that Montenegro signed with the UAE on cooperation in the economy and tourism, as well as real estate development, Milatović replied that as president, I have a seven-day constitutional deadline to act on them.
"They arrived as part of the regular procedure. My positions were, it seems to me, very precise and clear in the previous period, so I would not repeat myself there again. You will be informed about everything in a timely manner. You know that I am a detailed man who checks and analyzes everything that reaches the President from the Parliament in this way, so I will do the same on this occasion," he said.
Speaking about the Agreement, he assessed that it annuls important Montenegrin laws, but also that it may be contrary to Montenegro's European aspirations.
"I think that yesterday, also in response to your previous question, you saw the positions of some EU parliamentarians, very important for Montenegro, who commented on this agreement with concern. To me, this all seems like someone is simply shooting at our European path. Last year they shot themselves in one foot, adopting the resolution on Jasenovac, this year they are shooting themselves in the other foot. I leave it to you and the citizens to come to your own conclusion as to who is shooting at our European path," he pointed out.
He pointed out that there is no one in Montenegro who is against investments, but that the question is how certain things are done.
"You cannot annul Montenegrin laws, make Montenegrin laws meaningless, subordinate the Constitution of Montenegro to certain things. I think that is unacceptable. And when I speak in that way, I am actually talking about Montenegro as a country that must be a country of the rule of law. This entire business from the beginning, I said, was flawed and was an example of the rule of law," said Milatović.
"I think that is not a good path. I simply think that investments absolutely must be secured in a different way to come to Montenegro. I think I am very clear on this. The Constitution, the laws of Montenegro are above all and equal for all," he added.
He also emphasized that cooperation between the central government and all local governments is very important.
"We have a very clear difference between the central government and local governments. I am a man of dialogue, of argument, and I think that this is how we should approach everything in the future as well. I recently made a statement somewhere that time does not correct the mistakes. Valtazar Bogišić said that a long time ago. I think that this agreement on cooperation, tourism and development, watch out for real estate, is a mistake. Time cannot correct it like this," the head of state announced.
Speaking about the murder that occurred last night in Cetinje, Milatović said that he learned about it from the media this morning, and that he could not comment because he did not have enough information.
"It is tragic that we are witnessing yet another murder. This is, of course, primarily a matter for the competent authorities here in the police administration, other competent authorities that deal with the daily security situation in Montenegro, which is obviously challenging because if it were not so, we would not have murders on our streets," he said. "We recently had a session of the Defense and Security Council in a broader composition. That was, let's say, a month ago, it seems to me now, maybe almost two months. I simply wanted, on behalf of the citizens of Montenegro, to gather all the competent institutions in Montenegro and ask them the question that you are asking me now. We talked about the security situation, about all the challenges," he added.
As he pointed out, among all those present at that meeting, he saw good will to move in the right direction, but that the question of whether the citizens of Montenegro can be considered safer is intended for the competent authorities, to which clear answers must be given.
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